Spring is in the air, well sort of. If you are like me you enjoy a relaxing drive in the country, especially in the spring time. On your little expedition you may spot some wildlife, cows, crops, flowers, and possibly the best known springtime vegetable, asparagus.

Around here you see more green asparagus but it comes in a couple other colors, white and purple. In America, the green is favored more. White asparagus has a delicate flavor. Before using white asparagus, it must be peeled. You can save the peelings for a yummy asparagus soup.

Green asparagus requires no peeling. It has a more intense flavor than white or purple asparagus. It also has more vitamin content than white or purple.

Asparagus can be eating in many different ways. You can bake it, batter it, put it in an omelette, or pair it with rice or pasta.

A simple and fast way to make asparagus is to just roast it. You’ll need about a pound of asparagus, 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon of regular table salt.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll need to cut of the woody bottom part and discard it. To make sure the asparagus doesn’t come out stringy, take a vegetable peeler and peel off the skin on the bottom 2 to 3 inches of the spear.

Then place the asparagus on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle it with a little olive oil and also sprinkle it with salt. You can either use your hands to roll the asparagus around until it is evenly coated with oil and salt or if you don’t want to get your hands messy, put it in a zip lock bag and shake it until evenly coated.

Preparing the asparagus for roasting only takes about 10 minutes or less. When you are finished preparing it, put it in the oven to roast for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your stalks and how tender you want them. To check the tenderness just poke them with the tip of a knife. The tips of the spears should get brown when finished but watch them to prevent burning.

They are great plain or serve them with some sort of light vinaigrette. Next time you are out on a country drive, take some time to look for asparagus!